Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-06

Nv cup hrmmcd over What exactly
said will not repeat Let me not for
! get that am a clergyman and that il is
/ nv duty alike {" forgive my enemies and
| to eSchew bad language. but for the
nonce my language was very had i'll Iced,
| and very wrathfUl. and the matter was
made all the worse hy the fact that
| the doctor was but a young man Sir
| | cried, Il took an honorable degree al
! oxford when yuu We're still being birChed
/ at school, and was priest in holy orders
before ever you were III coat tails. How
dare you glhc at my personal appearance,
sir, How dare You make n mock of my
intirmItN, lou seem 50 inhuman and 81
indecently fond Of the most degrading
part of your duties. that | would gladly
leave this gyInning uaf with You, and then
he would get the thrashing he deserves
for exulting in his fathers discontinue.
But then | should have 10 speak with
You, sir, 10 speak with you, and | will
not lower myself by having anything to
do with you; evil communications corrupt
good manners sir, and will not stoop To
imperil my own good breeding by com
m.nicating with a pedagogue, who, in
stead of n scholar and gentleman ap-
pears to he a coNcomb and a boor;' and
with this TRADE | flung out Of the room in
a rage and my son skunk out at my heels.
was speechess with fury till we got
some distance from the house. Then,
looking up | saw that my wretchcd boy
was staggering still. and in my mortifica
tion ! struck him with my cane. There
We're several of the lads about. and he, poor
fellow. was high and mighty in his new
tail coat and he felt the ihdignity. He
lost his temper, rs had lost mine, and
turning on me. he boxed my ears. This
was too much. To what depth of con
tempt Liust have fallen. dropped on
a bench and burst into tears-the bitter
est tears. think, that ever man shed.
gave him money and sent him home
alone, and then | wandered away in indie
scribahle wretchedncss. | was blind to
all that passed; | neither saw nor cared
where | went. ! could not even pursue
one train of thought, however miserable
Not that any oblivion came mercifully to
relieve me from my sufferings. | passed
through moment after moment Of eXqui-
site pain. but each seemed isolated, and 10
he endurcd by itself separately, and with
out any continuity with either the mo-
ments that went before or those which
followed after. How the time went ! do
not kHOW. Dul dlttT Wudl tiDukut WIS Il
great while | found myself sitting by a
duh, dark stream, staring glOomily intoit.
do not know what was passing through
my mind: perhaps no settled thought had
formed itself: but | was in very abyss Of
despair. suddenly l felt little hand
thrust into mine and child kissed me-
| looked up and saw a village girl Of z or
years old, very plain but for a pair of
Il h., fnl1
and said, POO boyr' From her lips did
not vince at the reproach of youth. Slowly
came ont Of the dark mood in which was
ready for know not what rash act: and
in talking 10 the little girl. and feeling
her hand contidingly in mine, | gradually
found composure and resignation. She
was very shy, and even stupid, and, when
got her To speak, her voice was coarse,
and she talked in vllainously provincial
accent; but still, by her mute kindliness
and fellow feeling. she had saved me from
what dared not contemplate, and owed
her a debt Of gratitude which l could not
pay.
Alasi these milder moments were not
for long. At last I reached home, and
found the boy, who had preceded me, had
told his story from his own point Of view,
and my wife, perhaps rightly, took lis
part. Il suppose" she said with stately
censure, Il suppose it is useless to hope
that you are ashamed of yourself, but |
am ashamed of you. No wonder you look
such baby when you give way 10 such
childish tempcrs. At your age To mind
what you look like. You don't act like IA
msn and you don't deserve TO be treated
like one. And TO strike the poor boy be
! fore Jh,. whole schpoll Oh il MAS too
bad
dare say il was: but il was not dis
Greet 10 tell Inc So, and she does not know
what feel. Her chiding has brought
| back all my old bitterness and gloom,
and l think if ! We're now on that river
bank again. not even the little girl would
save me. But men are weak. and for the
present, for want of convenient way
| over to the other side, must stay on this
and abide my life as best can. When
am gone, if | go, this narrative may per
haps lead few 10 think not too harshly
-: me.-Jerome Yeo i'll Belgravia.